One of the most popular female streamers on Twitch wants to take a tougher stance on revenge porn—nude pictures posted online without the owner’s consent. Imane “Pokimane” Anys said in a recent article Twitch Streams that it is “illegal” to own nude photos without the owner’s consent and that she wants to work towards “facilitation laws” against that.
“There are some companies that I would text…not companies. Organizations are involved in certain causes. I would be like…Listen: If you need someone…” Pokimane made hand gestures while talking on stream. “You are my girl. Because I think if you want to pass a bill, you usually stand in front of a group of politicians and explain your reasons…I will do it.” Kotaku contacted Pokimane to ask what organizations she plans to work with, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Pokimane was initially vague about what she was taking a stand against, but she eventually clarified that she was talking about revenge porn. “I think it’s illegal to leave your phone, your personal computer, on anything…with pictures that someone won’t let you have.”
There are several reasons why she is taking this stance now. Pokimane talks about how viewers will text her about how their ex-partners will reveal their nudity. She feels that such individuals are rarely punished for “ruining” girls’ lives. “A lot of things online happen without consequences and they really shouldn’t,” she said.
America now has anti-revenge porn law in almost every state. But as Hasan Piker pointed out in a recent stream Regarding Pokimane’s comments, enforcement of revenge porn is complex and murky. Police are hardly the most empathetic or competent investigators of gender-based violence. Besides, monitoring every electronic device for revenge porn would be a serious breach of privacy. “The only way you can deal with revenge porn is at the point of distribution,” he said.
Pokimane seems optimistic about stopping revenge porn by stigmatizing it. “If [an ex] share [nudes] with someone, that person would be terrified to have that picture because the person with the photo they have—didn’t agree to give it to them.”
